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Storms pound city, snarl traffic, flood streets
We are dealing with not so nice weather in my area ....got off line as the storms moved into the area. There is another band coming through. Interesting how flooding is happening all over in different parts of the U.S. as well as other countries...if it isn't one thing, it is another. The people directly affected need our prayers.
......
A line of strong thunderstorms late this afternoon and this evening hit areas from Jefferson and Waukesha counties east to Milwaukee's east side, dropping near-record rainfall, flooding streets, closing freeways and stalling traffic in all directions.
The National Weather Service said there is at least one confirmed tornado touched down with storm watchers spotting it near Palmyra, Muskego and Wind Lake moving eastward at 30 mph. Another tornado touched down in Milton, near Whitewater.
Weather forecasters weren't sure yet whether the storm would break the overall Milwaukee record for a one-day total of 6.81 inches, set during the flash flood on August 6, 1986.
Meanwhile, WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) is reporting that a tornado touched down in Milton near Whitewater that is moving east at about 30 mph.
The storm, which pounded areas north of I-94 for most of the afternoon and early evening, is now hitting areas south of I-94 in Waukesha and Milwaukee counties with torrential downpours.
For the second consecutive Thursday, intense rainfall caused combined sanitary and storm sewer overflows in central Milwaukee and eastern Shorewood, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District said.
By 6 p.m., district gauges measured up to 5.1 inches of rain on Milwaukee's north side.
At 6:10 p.m., as the deep tunnels were filling from the storm, MMSD Executive Director Kevin Shafer ordered gates between combined sewers and the tunnels to be closed, resulting in the overflows to local rivers and Lake Michigan.
Gates were closed in an attempt to reserve adequate space in the tunnels for flows from communities served by separate sanitary sewers and prevent sewage backups into basements.
At 6:15 p.m., MMSD started a second emergency measure known as blending at the Jones Island sewage treatment plant in an attempt to gain more space in the tunnels and minimize overflows, Shafer said. In blending, an untreated sewage and storm water mix is pumped from the tunnel to the plant where it is disinfected only before it is blended with fully treated wastewater and discharged to Lake Michigan.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has issued flash flood warnings for Dane, Iowa, Jefferson, Milwaukee and Sauk Counties through 11:30 p.m., with heavy rainfall causing flooding and traffic jams on are roads and highways.
I-43 at Good Hope Road is closed in both directions because of flooding, and U.S. Highway 45 is closed in both directions at Hampton Ave.
Streets surrounding the Bradley Center and the U.S. Cellular Arena were under nearly a foot of water at 6:45 p.m. Oakland Ave. on Milwaukee's east side has standing water reaching over the sidewalks and up to the shins of pedestrians, and traffic on the east side and in Shorewood is at a standstill.
As much as 5.1 inches of rain fell on Milwaukee's north side by 6 p.m. Thursday, according to Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District gauges.
As of 6:13 p.m., the National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for southeastern Dane County, southern Jefferson County, northern Rock County, northwestern Walworth County, and southwestern Waukesha County through 7:00 p.m. Radar indicated a thunderstorm that could produce a tornado near Whitewater moving east.
In Jefferson County, where numerous funnel clouds were sighted in the southern part of the county, the sheriff's department said a tornado touched down near Highway 26 and the Jefferson-Rock county line about 6:30 p.m. Sgt. Brian Olson said there were no reports of damage or injuries.
Another tornado warning has been issued for central Iowa County until 6:45 p.m. Radar indicates that a storm capable of producing a tornado will be near Blue Mound State Park around 6:30 p.m.
A tornado watch for much of southern Wisconsin is in effect through 9 p.m.
About 3,000 We Energies customers have lost power because of the storms, a company spokesman said.
About 2,000 of those power failures are in the northern half of Milwaukee County, spokesman Brian Manthey said. The rest are in Jefferson, Washington and Waukesha counties, he said.
Flooding on roads and highways is slowing the response of utility crews, he said.
Area emergency dispatchers are reporting that manhole covers are being blown off throughout Milwaukee.
Much of Milwaukee's northwest side has been pounded by this afternoon's storms. Fond du lac Ave. from North Ave. to 107th St. is flooded, and the ramps at I-43 and Capitol Drive have been closed.
Aaron Lipski, 5th Battalion chief for the Milwaukee Fire Department on the northwest side, said, "We have just about every unit in the city out" pulling people out of their cars at various locations.
He just heard on the radio that a car had been swept under water with people in it at Sherman Blvd. and Hope, and a dive team is assembling to go in and find it. At the moment, it can't be seen in the water.
Many streets are under water, "Every underpass is blocked off with water. Numerous spots on the northwest side are simply impassable."
At one location on N. 68th St., water is blowing five feet out of a manhole.
On the Web Submit your photos of tonight's storm at www.jsonline.com/news
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/99052519.html
......
A line of strong thunderstorms late this afternoon and this evening hit areas from Jefferson and Waukesha counties east to Milwaukee's east side, dropping near-record rainfall, flooding streets, closing freeways and stalling traffic in all directions.
The National Weather Service said there is at least one confirmed tornado touched down with storm watchers spotting it near Palmyra, Muskego and Wind Lake moving eastward at 30 mph. Another tornado touched down in Milton, near Whitewater.
Weather forecasters weren't sure yet whether the storm would break the overall Milwaukee record for a one-day total of 6.81 inches, set during the flash flood on August 6, 1986.
Meanwhile, WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) is reporting that a tornado touched down in Milton near Whitewater that is moving east at about 30 mph.
The storm, which pounded areas north of I-94 for most of the afternoon and early evening, is now hitting areas south of I-94 in Waukesha and Milwaukee counties with torrential downpours.
For the second consecutive Thursday, intense rainfall caused combined sanitary and storm sewer overflows in central Milwaukee and eastern Shorewood, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District said.
By 6 p.m., district gauges measured up to 5.1 inches of rain on Milwaukee's north side.
At 6:10 p.m., as the deep tunnels were filling from the storm, MMSD Executive Director Kevin Shafer ordered gates between combined sewers and the tunnels to be closed, resulting in the overflows to local rivers and Lake Michigan.
Gates were closed in an attempt to reserve adequate space in the tunnels for flows from communities served by separate sanitary sewers and prevent sewage backups into basements.
At 6:15 p.m., MMSD started a second emergency measure known as blending at the Jones Island sewage treatment plant in an attempt to gain more space in the tunnels and minimize overflows, Shafer said. In blending, an untreated sewage and storm water mix is pumped from the tunnel to the plant where it is disinfected only before it is blended with fully treated wastewater and discharged to Lake Michigan.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has issued flash flood warnings for Dane, Iowa, Jefferson, Milwaukee and Sauk Counties through 11:30 p.m., with heavy rainfall causing flooding and traffic jams on are roads and highways.
I-43 at Good Hope Road is closed in both directions because of flooding, and U.S. Highway 45 is closed in both directions at Hampton Ave.
Streets surrounding the Bradley Center and the U.S. Cellular Arena were under nearly a foot of water at 6:45 p.m. Oakland Ave. on Milwaukee's east side has standing water reaching over the sidewalks and up to the shins of pedestrians, and traffic on the east side and in Shorewood is at a standstill.
As much as 5.1 inches of rain fell on Milwaukee's north side by 6 p.m. Thursday, according to Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District gauges.
As of 6:13 p.m., the National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for southeastern Dane County, southern Jefferson County, northern Rock County, northwestern Walworth County, and southwestern Waukesha County through 7:00 p.m. Radar indicated a thunderstorm that could produce a tornado near Whitewater moving east.
In Jefferson County, where numerous funnel clouds were sighted in the southern part of the county, the sheriff's department said a tornado touched down near Highway 26 and the Jefferson-Rock county line about 6:30 p.m. Sgt. Brian Olson said there were no reports of damage or injuries.
Another tornado warning has been issued for central Iowa County until 6:45 p.m. Radar indicates that a storm capable of producing a tornado will be near Blue Mound State Park around 6:30 p.m.
A tornado watch for much of southern Wisconsin is in effect through 9 p.m.
About 3,000 We Energies customers have lost power because of the storms, a company spokesman said.
About 2,000 of those power failures are in the northern half of Milwaukee County, spokesman Brian Manthey said. The rest are in Jefferson, Washington and Waukesha counties, he said.
Flooding on roads and highways is slowing the response of utility crews, he said.
Area emergency dispatchers are reporting that manhole covers are being blown off throughout Milwaukee.
Much of Milwaukee's northwest side has been pounded by this afternoon's storms. Fond du lac Ave. from North Ave. to 107th St. is flooded, and the ramps at I-43 and Capitol Drive have been closed.
Aaron Lipski, 5th Battalion chief for the Milwaukee Fire Department on the northwest side, said, "We have just about every unit in the city out" pulling people out of their cars at various locations.
He just heard on the radio that a car had been swept under water with people in it at Sherman Blvd. and Hope, and a dive team is assembling to go in and find it. At the moment, it can't be seen in the water.
Many streets are under water, "Every underpass is blocked off with water. Numerous spots on the northwest side are simply impassable."
At one location on N. 68th St., water is blowing five feet out of a manhole.
On the Web Submit your photos of tonight's storm at www.jsonline.com/news
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/99052519.html
Wisconsin Humane Society takes in storm-injured wildlife
By Jackie Loohauis-Bennett of the Journal Sentinel
July 23, 2010 2:35 p.m. |(0) Comments
Storm-tossed animals have been flooding the Wisconsin Humane Society’s Wildlife Rehab Center, according to Angela Speed, Wisconsin Humane Society spokeswoman.
“We’ve gotten at least two dozen baby songbirds, dozens of bunnies and one juvenile opossum,” said Speed.
The animals were brought in to the shelter, 4500 W. Wisconsin Ave. by concerned animal lovers.
Speed recommends individuals who find a wild animal in Milwaukee County that they think is injured or orphaned call the Wisconsin Humane Society's Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at (414) 431-6137. For more, visit the site.
By Jackie Loohauis-Bennett of the Journal Sentinel
July 23, 2010 2:35 p.m. |(0) Comments
Storm-tossed animals have been flooding the Wisconsin Humane Society’s Wildlife Rehab Center, according to Angela Speed, Wisconsin Humane Society spokeswoman.
“We’ve gotten at least two dozen baby songbirds, dozens of bunnies and one juvenile opossum,” said Speed.
The animals were brought in to the shelter, 4500 W. Wisconsin Ave. by concerned animal lovers.
Speed recommends individuals who find a wild animal in Milwaukee County that they think is injured or orphaned call the Wisconsin Humane Society's Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at (414) 431-6137. For more, visit the site.
Doyle declares state of emergency
Gov. Jim Doyle declared Milwaukee County to be in a state of emergency late Friday morning, an action that directs state agencies to assist the effort to repair damage caused by Thursday's torrential downpours and flooding.
City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County officials, meanwhile, announced they would seek emergency help to repair damage to roads, buildings and other infrastructure.
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker signed a Proclamation of Existence of a County Emergency at 10:30 a.m., and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett called Doyle to provide an account of the damage.
According to the assessment from Wisconsin Emergency Management, roughly 2,000 residents in Milwaukee reported water backed up in their basements and 144 incidents of street and surface flooding. Water displaced more than 50 manhole covers.
City inspectors are trying to evaluate whether 20 portable pumps they rented after recent rainfalls kept flooding in some of the most problematic areas from getting worse. They're also trying to figure out how quickly they can respond to the 2,000 calls about backwater filling basements.
While engineers were trying to figure out Friday morning how to repair a sinkhole that formed on Milwaukee's east side, rescue workers were evacuating a north side block after the basements in at least five homes collapsed there.
Crews who worked overnight in Milwaukee have to gear up for the potential of a few more inches of rain that could fall Friday evening in areas where people are trying to bail out.
And public services throughout the area are trying to evaluate damage. Mitchell International Airport is closed while workers try to clear the runways, the Village Hall in Whitefish Bay is dealing with electrical damage, and the Milwaukee County Historical Society is trying to dry out 90-year-old records.
"It was a long night for our crews as well as for our citizens," Milwaukee Department of Public Works commissioner Jeff Mantes said.
Thursday's flooding was the third time in the past couple of weeks that city streets turned into creeks and basements turned into bogs, but the rainfall was harsh.
A rain gauge in Shorewood topped 11 inches. About 6 inches of rain fell on Milwaukee's south side and 8 inches hit spots on the north side, Mantes said. Capitol Drive just west of the Milwaukee River received about 8.4 inches of rain by Friday morning.
Fortunately, there were only a few reported injuries, Milwaukee Police Chief Edward A. Flynn said.
Two sisters returning home from a sandwich shop were struck by lightning on Milwaukee's south side, and a driver had to be rescued when a sinkhole opened at the intersection of N. Oakland and E. North avenues and gulped his Cadillac Escalade.
Police and fire officials did not have reports of other serious injures from the flooding, but they conducted a pair of dramatic rescues. Firefighters extended a 100-foot ladder and then reached out to pull a man from the water at N. 88th St. and Fond du Lac Ave. on Thursday night.
Police then arrested the man, Flynn said. He had come close to running over a police officer who was directing traffic and he had drugs in his car, he said.
Three officers also spent 20 minutes rescuing a woman who was apparently intoxicated from the Milwaukee River near N. Water St. And E. State St., Flynn said.
Milwaukee city officials are preparing paperwork to call upon Gov. Jim Doyle to ask the federal government to provide disaster assistance, Common Council President Willie Hines said. Meanwhile, County Executive Scott Walker declared Thursday's storms a county emergency, and called for the same assistance from Doyle.
The storm knocked out power to 32,000 customers in Milwaukee, Jefferson, Washington and Waukesha counties. By Friday morning, crews had reduced the number of power failures to fewer than 6,000.
More rain is in the forecast Friday, Friday night and into Saturday. The National Weather Service early Friday re-issued a flash flood watch for all of southern Wisconsin through Saturday morning.
"In general, we're talking about 36 more hours of periods of showers and thunderstorms," TMJ4's Craig Koplien said Friday morning. The farther south you are, the more rain you are likely to get on Friday, he said.
If the rain lets up, it will likely be hot and muggy. The weather service forecast calls for a high of 88 - with a heat index that could reach 96. Don't try to cool off in Lake Michigan either - because of potential contamination from the storms, all Milwaukee beaches were ordered closed through Sunday.
Gov. Jim Doyle declared Milwaukee County to be in a state of emergency late Friday morning, an action that directs state agencies to assist the effort to repair damage caused by Thursday's torrential downpours and flooding.
City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County officials, meanwhile, announced they would seek emergency help to repair damage to roads, buildings and other infrastructure.
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker signed a Proclamation of Existence of a County Emergency at 10:30 a.m., and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett called Doyle to provide an account of the damage.
According to the assessment from Wisconsin Emergency Management, roughly 2,000 residents in Milwaukee reported water backed up in their basements and 144 incidents of street and surface flooding. Water displaced more than 50 manhole covers.
City inspectors are trying to evaluate whether 20 portable pumps they rented after recent rainfalls kept flooding in some of the most problematic areas from getting worse. They're also trying to figure out how quickly they can respond to the 2,000 calls about backwater filling basements.
While engineers were trying to figure out Friday morning how to repair a sinkhole that formed on Milwaukee's east side, rescue workers were evacuating a north side block after the basements in at least five homes collapsed there.
Crews who worked overnight in Milwaukee have to gear up for the potential of a few more inches of rain that could fall Friday evening in areas where people are trying to bail out.
And public services throughout the area are trying to evaluate damage. Mitchell International Airport is closed while workers try to clear the runways, the Village Hall in Whitefish Bay is dealing with electrical damage, and the Milwaukee County Historical Society is trying to dry out 90-year-old records.
"It was a long night for our crews as well as for our citizens," Milwaukee Department of Public Works commissioner Jeff Mantes said.
Thursday's flooding was the third time in the past couple of weeks that city streets turned into creeks and basements turned into bogs, but the rainfall was harsh.
A rain gauge in Shorewood topped 11 inches. About 6 inches of rain fell on Milwaukee's south side and 8 inches hit spots on the north side, Mantes said. Capitol Drive just west of the Milwaukee River received about 8.4 inches of rain by Friday morning.
Fortunately, there were only a few reported injuries, Milwaukee Police Chief Edward A. Flynn said.
Two sisters returning home from a sandwich shop were struck by lightning on Milwaukee's south side, and a driver had to be rescued when a sinkhole opened at the intersection of N. Oakland and E. North avenues and gulped his Cadillac Escalade.
Police and fire officials did not have reports of other serious injures from the flooding, but they conducted a pair of dramatic rescues. Firefighters extended a 100-foot ladder and then reached out to pull a man from the water at N. 88th St. and Fond du Lac Ave. on Thursday night.
Police then arrested the man, Flynn said. He had come close to running over a police officer who was directing traffic and he had drugs in his car, he said.
Three officers also spent 20 minutes rescuing a woman who was apparently intoxicated from the Milwaukee River near N. Water St. And E. State St., Flynn said.
Milwaukee city officials are preparing paperwork to call upon Gov. Jim Doyle to ask the federal government to provide disaster assistance, Common Council President Willie Hines said. Meanwhile, County Executive Scott Walker declared Thursday's storms a county emergency, and called for the same assistance from Doyle.
The storm knocked out power to 32,000 customers in Milwaukee, Jefferson, Washington and Waukesha counties. By Friday morning, crews had reduced the number of power failures to fewer than 6,000.
More rain is in the forecast Friday, Friday night and into Saturday. The National Weather Service early Friday re-issued a flash flood watch for all of southern Wisconsin through Saturday morning.
"In general, we're talking about 36 more hours of periods of showers and thunderstorms," TMJ4's Craig Koplien said Friday morning. The farther south you are, the more rain you are likely to get on Friday, he said.
If the rain lets up, it will likely be hot and muggy. The weather service forecast calls for a high of 88 - with a heat index that could reach 96. Don't try to cool off in Lake Michigan either - because of potential contamination from the storms, all Milwaukee beaches were ordered closed through Sunday.
Car, driver tumble into giant sinkhole amid rainstorm
Rescuer was walking across North Ave. bridge before incident
By Mary Louise Schumacher of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: July 22, 2010 |(105) Comments
More Coverage
From JSOnline:
Storms pound city, snarl traffic, flood streets
Sinkhole swallows car, driver
MMSD, Milwaukee OK $8 million in emergency measures to reduce basement backups
Around the Web:
Twitter: Follow or join in at #BrewCityFlood
YouTube: Flooding in Menomonee Falls
WE Energies: Tips on power outages
PDF: Report from the state Emergency Operations Center
This is the account of the man who rescued the driver of a Cadillac Escalade from a sinkhole shortly before 8 p.m. at N. Oakland and E. North Aves.:
***
Mark Pawlik, 46, was walking across the North Ave. bridge and talking to his friend on the phone when he noticed a traffic light had sunk into the ground.
Just the red, yellow and green lights were above street level. He told his friend he'd call him back. It was still pouring rain, but he wanted to stop and take a picture.
A moment later a man driving a black Escalade pulled up to the intersection at North and Oakland avenues, going east on North Ave.
"The Escalade just went wham!" Pawlik said. "Everything went down. The power line went like 'pow' and then I think it was sewer water was just pouring into the hole."
Pawlik leaned over the edge of the sinkhole, which was then about 15 feet by 15 feet.
"I said, 'Hey, man, are you OK, are you OK?' "
Pawlik said the man kept saying, "What happened? What just happened?"
The driver pulled himself onto the hood and then fell down into the hole. He pulled himself back up onto the hood, and Pawlik took his hand and then his belt loop to get him out of the hole. He said he was the only person in the car.
By that time, several people had gathered around the edge of the hole.
Pawlik could see that the ground had given way beneath the asphalt and yelled at people to get back.
Pawlik said he and several others tried to reach 911 but got busy signals, so a few people flagged down a city bus and asked the driver to call in the emergency.
Police arrived and put emergency tape up, and an ambulance took the driver of the Escalade away.
Pawlik, who owns a towing company, said the hole was about 20 feet deep.
***
At a 9:45 p.m. news conference, Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn said crews were still on the scene with the Escalade, which was still running because it had been filled with gas just before the incident.
Rescuer was walking across North Ave. bridge before incident
By Mary Louise Schumacher of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: July 22, 2010 |(105) Comments
More Coverage
From JSOnline:
Storms pound city, snarl traffic, flood streets
Sinkhole swallows car, driver
MMSD, Milwaukee OK $8 million in emergency measures to reduce basement backups
Around the Web:
Twitter: Follow or join in at #BrewCityFlood
YouTube: Flooding in Menomonee Falls
WE Energies: Tips on power outages
PDF: Report from the state Emergency Operations Center
This is the account of the man who rescued the driver of a Cadillac Escalade from a sinkhole shortly before 8 p.m. at N. Oakland and E. North Aves.:
***
Mark Pawlik, 46, was walking across the North Ave. bridge and talking to his friend on the phone when he noticed a traffic light had sunk into the ground.
Just the red, yellow and green lights were above street level. He told his friend he'd call him back. It was still pouring rain, but he wanted to stop and take a picture.
A moment later a man driving a black Escalade pulled up to the intersection at North and Oakland avenues, going east on North Ave.
"The Escalade just went wham!" Pawlik said. "Everything went down. The power line went like 'pow' and then I think it was sewer water was just pouring into the hole."
Pawlik leaned over the edge of the sinkhole, which was then about 15 feet by 15 feet.
"I said, 'Hey, man, are you OK, are you OK?' "
Pawlik said the man kept saying, "What happened? What just happened?"
The driver pulled himself onto the hood and then fell down into the hole. He pulled himself back up onto the hood, and Pawlik took his hand and then his belt loop to get him out of the hole. He said he was the only person in the car.
By that time, several people had gathered around the edge of the hole.
Pawlik could see that the ground had given way beneath the asphalt and yelled at people to get back.
Pawlik said he and several others tried to reach 911 but got busy signals, so a few people flagged down a city bus and asked the driver to call in the emergency.
Police arrived and put emergency tape up, and an ambulance took the driver of the Escalade away.
Pawlik, who owns a towing company, said the hole was about 20 feet deep.
***
At a 9:45 p.m. news conference, Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn said crews were still on the scene with the Escalade, which was still running because it had been filled with gas just before the incident.
It is good to shut down the computer when storms come thru. I have lost 2 computers in the last several years as a result of lightening. We got TS Bonnie moving thru the area today. Which is nothing more than a lot of heavy rain and some gusty wind! No big deal here, but could cause a problem over the oil spill. "COULD" but not expected to.
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